Last summer a lot of things happened all at once. I moved back into my parents' house, started a new relationship, started a new job, gained new friends, and started on the epic journey that got me to where I am today. I celebrated by taking my first trip to Halloween Horror Nights in Orlando, FL. To commemorate this, and the fact that I was taking my first vacation in almost 5 years, I decided to do something special for everyone who was going.
Luggage Tags!!
After scouring the web for different ways to make them and finding almost 100 ways I
could do it, I decided to use
this tutorial as the basis for my masterful plan- then quickly decided that it wasn't good enough. I knew I wanted more color, and I wanted to attempt something that I couldn't find a tutorial for ANYWHERE. I wanted them to be double sided.
This was my first time making luggage tags. Something you should know about me: My motto tends to be "go big or go home". So of course I didn't start out small, that would have been too easy. */roll eyes* I learned a lot, and failed a lot, but in the end I got all 16 of them completed a couple of days before we left.
Materials
- Counter top color chips, +1 extra if you need to trace the chip outline over free-floating text. (these are FREE and great for all kinds of projects- get them at your local hardware store OR you can get them by the bag-full, also FREE, by calling Wilson Art at 800.433.3222)
- Spray-on fixatif (I used a "workable" version by Krylon)
- Color laser printer
- Spray adhesive (I used "Super Quick Grip" by Krylon)
- Black and/or white acrylic paint (matte dried faster and allowed the images to adhere better, I found)
- Paint brush (the foam ones worked just fine)
- Mod Podge Dimensional Magic
- Xacto knife
- Images you want to use, sized according to the counter top samples
- Something to tie them to your luggage (I bought a bag of leather scraps from Michaels that had a TON of leather straps, but you could use something equally sturdy. DO NOT use thread or anything that could come off easily while your luggage is being jostled around)
Prepping
I think this part took the longest for me. The trick here is NOT to rush the prep stage or you WILL regret it! I had about 4 that I had to discard, and several unnecessary trips to FedEx-Kinko's because I did just that...
Step 1
First, select or create your image. These are a couple of the images I used for my tags' fronts:
Back:
I created the back side in Microsoft Word using their business card template- which was a good start. NOTE: I left enough room on the left margin of the backside image to account for the hole in the color chips. I didn't do this the first time around, and that cost me an extra trip to the printer...
Fail #1: When I finally got them printed at FedEx-Kinko's, I realized they were too small! You want to be sure that your images are slightly smaller the width of the color chips. Too small and there will be a lot of exposed area on the color chip itself and even though it will be painted, believe me that it's not very appealing... You don't want it to LOOK like you put a sticker on something and covered it in lacquer (even though that's basically what this is, lol). Too big (aka completely flush with the edges or larger), and you run into issues with the Mod Podge causing the edges to curl up. The Mod Podge needs to end on wood in order to seal in your image properly. Yes, I learned that one the hard way...
The height isn't too much of a concern here because of the hole at the top, but you MUST make sure you take that into consideration! You wouldn't want to select/create an image that could be obstructed by the hole at the top. Once you have your images the way you want them, print em up.
Why FedEx-Kinko's? Because I don't have free access to a color laser printer, also because one of their reps actually took my color chip and sized the images for me. With the amount of color that I was using for my images I wanted to minimize the potential of color bleeding. There are two ways to do this, and I did them both. 1) Using a laser printer (yay Kinko's!) 2) Using a fixatif. I wanted, above all else, to retain the integrity of the image. I think the #1 reason why they turned out so well was because of this.
Step 2
Now that you've selected your image, it's time to use those color chips. Choose your base color. White if the background of your image is light/white or for text (like my back image). Black for dark images. As you can see, it would have been pointless for me to do white or black on both sides.
I painted the white side first. It's easier to hide white with black paint rather than the other way around.
Paint your color chips, 1 side at a time. You want this layer to be thick enough that you can't see the color or the pattern from the underlying color chip. I probably got off easy because I was using black for the front. I'd imagine it will take a few more layers if you're using white. Don't be surprised if you have to paint these bad boys 3-4 times (or more). Make sure they've dried at least over night before you adhere the images! I rushed one because I was SO excited and both the image, and the paint, peeled right off :(
Step 3
Your images are ready, your color chips are dried, and now the final prep stage! While you don't necessarily HAVE to wait to do this stage, I found that I had better results when I didn't give the fixatif a chance to rub off. Before you cut them to size, apply your fixatif on both sides. Give them about 5 min to dry and you're golden.
The Fun Part
Step 1
Cut out your treated images then place one, face down, on paper towel. Put the other ones FAR off to the side (over spray from the adhesive was NOT fun...).
Why did I decide to do 16 again?
Step 2
This part has GOT to be fast because you need to give yourself enough time to reposition the image, if necessary, before the spray adhesive gets too sticky (about 2-3 seconds). Get a color chip ready on the paper towel next to your image, shake daylights out of your adhesive, give the back of your image an even spritz, do the same to the front of your color chip, and place your image. The easiest way to do that, for me, was to hold the image, in one hand, by the edge closest to my hand and use the other edge of it as a guide while I used my second hand to smooth it down. No bubbles, no guessing if it was straight. For you science majors, this is a process similar to placing a cover slip on a microscope slide. Repeat for all front images, let dry for about 10-15min. Move to step 3. Tip: DO NOT put the images on the back until you have a completed front side. Wandering drops of Mod Podge will ruin your day.
As you can see, I didn't follow the directions listed above and adhered both sides.
This one was tossed as a result.
You may have an image that is covering the hole in the color chip. I turned the chip over and used the tip of my Xacto knife to cut it out. The adhesive actually makes this process easier. Make sure you cut your hole before you adhere your image on the other side and ESPECIALLY before you move on to the Mod Podge step. Unlike me:
This one had to be tossed...
Cutting out the hole after Mod Podge caused the whole front side to crack...
Step 3
FINALLY! Last step is to add the Mod Podge. Sounds easy, right? But for someone who's never used this stuff before it is a REAL nightmare. Let them dry for 24 hours! NO EXCEPTION! After that, repeat for the back side, tie them up and show them off :)
Tips for Mod Podge newbs like me:
- NEVER shake the bottle. Air bubbles are not your friend, and on a darker image you will always notice them...
- Use a level surface. Otherwise the Mod Podge will accumulate on one side/end and it will look really bad, or it won't dry properly, or the thinner side will crack. Trust me.
- Line your surface with a white trash bag. This stuff ruins clothes, carpet, stained wood surfaces, well... ANY surface... Also, because you're doing a double-sided project you need to protect the underside. White bags (as opposed to a colored bag or one with a logo) won't transfer the ink to your color chip and you won't cry (like I did).
- Draw a couple lines out on some paper towel to get used to how the Mod Podge flows from the bottle. You want an even layer.
- You have to really try to use "too much" of this stuff. The problem is too little. The layer should be opaque enough to shroud your image by about 50%.
Troubleshooting
- Air bubbles? Wait until the Mod Podge dries a little (about 1min) and use a needle to pop the bubbles. If that doesn't work, try using the tip of your Xacto knife to gently sweep the bubble towards the edge of the color chip. It usually pops on its own, but sometimes you have to actually drag the bubble off. /shrug
- Edges curling? Wait until the Mod Podge is dry enough that you can touch it and use super glue.
- Excess Mod Podge on the edges once dry? Use your Xacto knife to shave it down/cut it off.
It's Spring Break!! Maybe you want to go technicolored? Try it out and show me how you did!
As I get ready to finish my final 5 orders for the holiday season before going on a MUCH needed holiday/birthday vacation (12/24/13-1/5/14), I can't help but look back at where I started only 9 short months ago. In the last 9 months I have sold over 200 items, had well over 80 individual shipments spanning 6 countries, vended at Chicago's pinnacle comic convention (in my first month), gained consignment contracts with 2 comic shops (at the same comic con), have been featured in a magazine, got my art complimented on and signed by Alex Ross (also at sed comic con), got a piece into the hands of Hannah Aitchison, entered into my first art show, used my art to raise $250 for victims of Typhoon Haiyan, and *most importantly* got to personally witness the nostalgic joy my art brings on the faces (and in messages) of thousands of geeks worldwide. That's right. Geeks! Sports geeks, gaming geeks, comic geeks, Star Wars geeks, you name it. I was able to unite geeks across all spectrums through my art- and in the end, even if I were to stop all this tomorrow, I will be able to walk away with that magnificent feeling. 
